swiftsnowmane | Entries tagged with anakin skywalker

“The hero…for a moment rises to a glimpse of the source. He beholds the face of the father, understands—and the two are atoned…. For the son who has grown really to know the father, the agonies of the ordeal are readily borne; the world is no longer a vale of tears but a bliss-yielding, perpetual manifestation of the Presence.”

—Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces

He could feel it now, in the Force, could recognize the creature before him, recognize the cold, freezing dread that lived in the furnace of his heart, the Obsidian Dragon with eyes of dead starlight, walled away by flame, and held at bay by sheer force of will. The Obsidian Dragon made of fear and failure and weakness and death.

“I will not fall!” He ground out the vow from behind clenched teeth, pressing forward with the Force as hard as he was able. Darth Vader trembled in anger at the onslaught. “I am Anakin Skywalker, and I will never fall!”

Suddenly, intensely, power rushed off Anakin in waves, and Darth Vader bent under the assault, crumpling with wheezing breaths. The painful breaths of a pitiful creature.

Utterly spent from the release of energy, Anakin sagged to his knees, arms falling weakly to his sides.

“I am Anakin Skywalker,” he rasped, “and I am not afraid.”

— from The Chosen Path AU series by steelneena ( @muldertorture ) (originally posted on tumblr)

Recently, I was asked to write about ‘Anakin as a tragic hero’, and rather than attempting to tackle such a broad topic from scratch, I decided to compile a masterpost of excerpts from (and links to) my previous posts on the subject.

In my personal view, ‘Star Wars’ (as in, the Skywalker saga) is, at its heart, Anakin’s story, and as such, his tragic fall and ultimate redemption forms one of the main, underlying themes of most of my SW analysis in general. And so, the selections below include everything from in-depth character analysis, to overviews of Anakin’s role in the saga as a whole, to explorations of themes of slavery vs. freedom, death vs. immortality, personal attachments, fear of loss, and perhaps most importantly, unconditional love.

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It’s been a while now since I’ve written about this character, but recently my husband and I were discussing the Prequels (and especially The Phantom Menace), and we both heartily agreed that Qui-Gon Jinn is a truly brilliant addition to the saga, both from a storytelling and ‘in-story’ perspective. Not only is he a compelling figure to watch on-screen (thanks to the mesmerizing Liam Neeson), but he is also an ingenious way of introducing us to the Twilight of the Republic-era Jedi—via someone who is, by that point, considered a ‘maverick’ in comparison to the rest of the Jedi Order.

This is a very clever approach, because it means that we actually experience the entire first half of The Phantom Menace from Qui-Gon’s perspective. Throughout our journey with him—during which time he comes to the aid of many beings, from the hapless Jar-Jar, to Queen Amidala, to a slave-boy and his mother on Tatooine, all while simultaneously on a spiritual quest of his own (aka, to find the Chosen One)—we come to admire a Jedi who is everything that we, as viewers who had only ever seen the Original Trilogy, would expect a Jedi to be. It is only after Qui-Gon’s arrival on Coruscant (when we are met by the comparatively cold, closed, and standoffish Jedi Council), that we realize that…oh… this wonderful, warm, openly-caring, and compassionate Jedi who we ASSUMED must certainly be the ’norm’, is actually anything but.

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Lucas’ Saga as Magnum Opus 1/?: Twin Suns

The Magnum Opus, or ‘Great Work’, is the ultimate goal of alchemy. In addition to its traditional applications, the concept has been used as a model for the individuation process and as a device in art and literature. Progression through its stages typically involves both physical and spiritual transformation, with the aim of attaining such profound results as self-realization, communion with divinity, and spiritual immortality.

In alchemy, Suns are used to symbolize a variety of concepts, and can correspond to gold, citrinitas, generative masculine principles, imagery of ‘the king’ or Apollo, the fiery spirit or sulfur, the divine spark in man, nobility, or incorruptibility.

There is a persistent belief in alchemical tradition in the existence of TWO SUNS: a hidden one of pure “Philosophical Gold,” consisting of the essential Fire conjoined with Aether, and the apparent one of profane “Material Gold.” The “dark, consuming fire” of the material Sun, associated with the dissolution of the body in the process of purification, leads to its being called the “Dark” or “Black Sun.”

Sol Niger (Black Sun) can also refer to the result of the first stage of the Magnum Opus, the Nigredo (blackening). The complete Magnum Opus ends with the production of Gold.

Or, what the term means (and does not mean) to me

It’s been a while since I posted anything about this subject, as I have long-ago said my piece on the so-called ‘sequels’, and have no wish to dwell on negativity or rain on anyone else’s parade. But since the topic has come up again, I figure I might as well try to explain my current views in a bit more detail in case anyone is curious.

As is no doubt obvious by now, I do not accept Disney’s post-RotJ version of events as a legitimate continuation of Lucas’ saga. While I’ve already gone over my reasons for feeling this way in great depth in previous posts here, here, and here, I’ve included some additional thoughts below:

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“The happy ending of the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedy of the soul, is to be read, not as a contradiction, but as a transcendence of the universal tragedy of man.”

— Joseph Campbell

Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; and where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.

— Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces

Watch on YouTube

Anakin Skywalker/Vader (Simple Math) || SmokeyFiizz

An exquisitely beautiful fan vid that perfectly encompasses my feels for Anakin/Vader, Anakin x Padme, Luke & Vader, and my beloved Skywalker saga.

Happy 40th anniversary, Star Wars. :')

☆ Anidala Week 2017 ☆ Day 6: Favourite Kiss (RotS novelization):

There was no hope she could be happier—until his eye found her silent, still shadow, and he straightened, and a new light broke over his golden face and he said, “Excuse me,” to the Senator from Alderaan, and a moment later he came to her in the shadows and they were in each other’s arms.
Their lips met, and the universe became, one last time, perfect.

☆ Anidala Week 2017 ☆ Day 4: Favourite Quote (RotS novelization):

Her real life began the first time she looked into Anakin Skywalker’s eyes and found in there not the uncritical worship of little Ani from Tatooine, but the direct, unashamed, smoldering passion of a powerful Jedi: a young man, to be sure, but every centimeter a man—a man whose legend was already growing within the Jedi Order and beyond. A man who knew exactly what he wanted and was honest enough to simply ask for it; a man strong enough to unroll his deepest feelings before her without fear and without shame. A man who had loved her for a decade, with faithful and patient heart, while he waited for the act of destiny he was sure would someday open her own heart to the fire in his.

☆ Anidala Week 2017 ☆ Day 2: Favourite Scene || Lovers’ Embrace (+ binary sunset)

Tatooine is my all-time favourite Star Wars location, so it is no surprise that it is also the setting for one of my most beloved Anidala scenes. For such a brief interlude, it is impeccably crafted. From the direction, to the lighting, to the costuming, the attention to detail is most impressive. Anakin and Padme are especially striking in their contrasting physical appearances here, and this scene provides a tantalizing view of them as a 'union of opposites' ...in both a visual and thematic sense.

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S k y g u y *:･ﾟ✧

My random sketchy experimental attempt at a semi-realistic TCW-style/force ghost!Anakin :')

(Hope everyone's had a lovely '40th 4th'!)

Last month, I missed the festivities surrounding the 40th anniversary panel....and did so purposefully, as I am trying to avoid any kind of spoilers about the next Sequel film like the plague. But since Star Wars is obviously something that means a great deal to me, I dearly wanted to commemorate the 40th anniversary somehow. It's not every day such a huge fandom has such a major anniversary, and I was feeling really down about missing out on it. So, I've set up a big queue on my Star Wars blog, and today I'm celebrating the Skywalker Saga in my own way. :)

After all... it's the '40th (May the) 4th'....which is pretty amazing (and also makes me feel super old, lol).

So....

HAPPY STAR WARS DAY!

.... May the Fourth Be With You ....

And today of all days, I can't not leave you with this classic about my beloved 'Anakin guy'. ♥

Watch on YouTube

We were singin’ …

My, my, this here Anakin guy

May be Vader someday later - now he’s just a small fry

And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye

Sayin’ “Soon I’m gonna be a J e d i”

Prelude: The Chosen Path by steelneena (for swiftsnowmane)

Read it on: tumblr || Ao3

Summary:

Paths are divergent, and lives are altered. Fates are changed. Destiny is chosen, instead of made.

Notes:

An attempt to remind the fandom exactly who and what Anakin is, and what leads to his downfall in canon, accomplished by circumventing canon altogether.

Series currently in progress. Updates once every month.

A Star Wars fic for anyone who has ever wondered 'what if the Duel of the Fates had ended differently?' Yes, this is a Qui-Gon lives!AU! Written by @muldertorture / steelneena, 'The Chosen Path' focuses on Anakin's journey, exploring how the survival of his first life-mentor transforms the course of his entire existence. If the Prequels are the 'darkest timeline', then this story presents us with what might just be the brightest of all 'possible futures'.

" In the Star Wars universe, it is stated that slavery is a primary tool of the Sith—for controlling one another, and also for the subjugation of the entire galaxy. And thus it stands to reason that if Anakin is truly the Chosen One (and this is confirmed by Lucas’ canon), then he is also the one who is destined to destroy the Sith, and by doing so, it is implied, break this seemingly-perpetual cycle of slavery (and mental/ideological enslavement)."

—

‘The Chosen One, the Hero’s Journey, and breaking the cycle of enslavement in Star Wars: or, why TFA makes no sense in the context of the Prequels and the Original Trilogy’

(via the-far-bright-center)

“This is why the climactic and emotionally cathartic ending of Return of the Jedi must herald an end to this cycle. What does destroying the Sith mean, if not that? Without this, there is little point to Anakin’s otherwise wholly tragic story. Without this, I would argue, there is little point to Luke’s story, either.”

re: the final exchange between Obi-Wan and Maul in ‘Twin Suns’

Below the cut I've posted an edited version of my response to ~ this tumblr discussion ~ regarding the mention of ‘The Chosen One’ in the final scene between Obi-Wan and Maul. While I understand (and empathize with!) the fandom's frustration over the use of this term, I feel that, on a meta-textual level, the conversation as a whole refers to both Luke and Anakin, aka the ‘Twin Suns’ of Tatooine.

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Father,

I may be falling

through clouded skies,

broken

and bloodied,

weighted

with the horror

of unholy revelation,

but it is you

who fell long ago

from far greater heights.

Father,

you may be standing

against the faded stars,

shackled

and suffering,

bowed

beneath the burden

of long-held darkness,

but it is I

who blaze

with undimmed light.

Let go

of your hate,

Let go

of your fear,

Let go

of your shrouded lies,

and I promise –

I will be there

I will catch you

and together

we will find

our own piece of sky.

— t.f.b.c.

"
Anakin…exists relative to the state of the galaxy. He is not Luke, he is not the youth of western literature on a journey; that is Luke’s role. Anakin’s role is that of the demi-god of Greek and Roman origin. When Anakin rises, the galaxy rises with him, when Anakin is in turmoil, the galaxy is in turmoil, when Anakin falls, so falls the galaxy. Anakin is intrinsic to the galaxy because Anakin, like so many other mythological demi-gods, is an avatar for the gods or, in the case of Star Wars, the Force. Regardless of any one person’s views on the Force (which are extremely disparate and widely varied, so we won’t broach that subject here), this fact is indisputable. Anakin, as the Chosen One who will “bring balance to the Force”, is its avatar. When Anakin is claimed by the Dark, the Jedi Order’s zenith is reached, the Balance is tipped, and the Order descends into darkness with Anakin, just as his return also signals theirs.

The title ‘Return of the Jedi’ doesn’t just reference Luke becoming a Jedi, but Anakin’s return to the Light, and with it, the ability for the Jedi Order to once more flourish. In this he is much like Beowulf, when the Geatish hero sacrifices himself to defeat the dragon at the end of the epic poem. Failure would spell ultimate destruction for Beowulf’s people and country, just as, had Anakin failed to destroy the Emperor, the Jedi and the galaxy would truly have been wiped out. Anakin himself has to die, however, because he is what tips the scales. Once he dies and becomes one with the Force, only then is balance restored."

-- ‘STAR WARS: The Creation of a Modern Myth: Cultural Influence, Fan Response and the Impact of Literary Archetypes on Saga Perception’

(via muldertorture)

This right here is absolutely fundamental to understanding the entire purpose of the Skywalker saga, as Lucas so painstakingly told it. The destruction of the old Jedi Order that had ‘lost its way’ and forgotten its true role in the galaxy, and the founding of the New, heralded by Anakin’s return to the Light, and Luke’s essential role in reminding him—and us all—of what it means to be a True Jedi.

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an excerpt from TPM novelization

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The Far, Bright Center

The barest flicker of persistent light

Entries tagged with anakin skywalker

Beholding the Face of the Father

The Chosen Path AU edit (for muldertorture)

Anakin Skywalker, a tragic hero

On the importance of Qui-Gon and his role in the story:

Lucas' saga as Magnum Opus

Re: 'Star Wars' as the complete saga

The Universal Tragedy of Man

and where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god...

"...I've got to get it back then"

Anidala Week 2017 - Day 6: Favourite Kiss

Anidala Week 2017 - Day 4: Favourite Quote

Anidala Week 2017 - Day 2: Favourite Scene

May the Fourth Be With You

40th 4th :)

The Chosen Path - fic rec

Breaking the Cycle

'He will avenge us'

re: the final exchange between Obi-Wan and Maul in ‘Twin Suns’

A Piece of Sky

Anakin as Avatar

Qui-Gon Jinn: the ideal teacher of Anakin Skywalker

an excerpt from TPM novelization

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April 2019

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